Easy baby blanket to sew:Mystery cloth from my craft cupboard!

You can sew a quick and easy baby
blanket that is reversible! For this project, I decided to “shop”
for fabric in my very own craft closet! There's no telling what will
turn up in this closet because it's not real spacious and not real
organized. Fabric, yarn, floss, books, craft magazines and tools that
I find at stores and yard sales all get stored here.

My craft cupboard - It's almost scary in there!

So I found two woven mystery fabrics
that complement each other pretty well, a light blue/white gingham
and a pretty multicolor zig-zag pattern. Both are quite lightweight,
but the trouble is, I don't know specifically what kind of material
these are. The pretty zig-zag fabric has a copyright printed on the
selvedge: Here Comes the Sun by RJR Fabrics, 2004. (Check out how I personalized this baby blanket for my new granddaughter.)

Before sewing this easy baby blanket ~ Prewash the fabric

From my years of experience with sewing, I figured that both cloths are probably a blend of cotton and polyester. Because I am not sure, I prewashed the fabric just in case they shrink different amounts. Prewashing fabric should be done in the same way the finished blanket will be washed. This prevents twisting or warping of the final blanket because of the shrinkage of two different “mystery” fabrics.

These are the mystery fabrics after prewashing.

It is generally recommended to serge or zig-zag the cut edges of the fabric before prewashing, to minimize any fraying. I didn't do that this time. Call me lazy, I guess! (Hey, isn't this an EASY baby blanket?) Here is how they came out of the dryer.

I trimmed off the frayed edges then
ironed both fabrics before I started with Step 1.

What you need to sew this easy-peasy blanket for Junior or Juniorette

2 lengths of cotton/poly fabric (the
same size)

Thread to match

Sewing machine

Scissors

Hand needle

Straightedge

Greeting card for corners (any way to make 90 degree corners)

pencil

~In my directions, the bold print is instruction; the normal print is my explanation for you.~

Step 1

On your work surface, lay both
fabrics on top of each other with right sides together. Smooth the
fabric. Pin the edges together. We
need to trim both pieces to be the same size.

Use the tools you have available to
make 90 degree corners, like a greeting card or piece of
notebook paper. Use a straightedge (a yardstick or
edge of a cutting board) to draw the cutting edges. Of course, if
you have been working with fabric often for a long time, you may be blessed to have equipment such as a graphed cutting board and
rotary cutter. But great results can be had using simple items from
around the house.

I used a greeting card, a yardstick, and a pencil to mark the 90 degree corners and straight sides for this baby blanket.

Step 2

Pin the fabrics together (be sure the right sides are facing each other). When I need to leave some of the side seam open, as in this 2-sided baby blanket, I double-pin where I want to stop.

Step 3

On your sewing machine, sew ALMOST
all the way around the whole blanket. I used a ½ inch seam
allowance. Leave an opening 3-4 inches long on a straight side, not a
corner. That's why I double-pinned, so I would know where to stop. This opening is for easily turning the baby blanket right side out. Sorry, I missed taking a pic of this step!

Step 4

Cut the corners on the diagonal so
they won't bunch up when you turn the blanket. Be
sure not to cut the stitching! Using the opening, turn the
blanket right side out. Press all the edges and corners flat.

Hand stitch the
opening shut using the invisible stitch(some call it the ladder
stitch, hidden stitch, slip stitch, or blind stitch). I like to start by making a small knot in the end of my sewing thread. To place this knot where it won't be seen, I poke it up through the seam allowance from the inside of the baby blanket. Now make little running stitches in and out of the fabric (alternating each stitch between the front and back sides). I found this video tutorial if the pictures and directions here aren't clear for you.

Knot at the end of the thread

Hide the knot in the seam allowance

Running stitch alternates between back and front

Step 5

Sew all around the blanket about ½
or 1 inch from the edge.

And that's it! You have sewn the easiest baby blanket pattern in the world!

Seriously, besides
the prewashing and corner-making of the mystery fabrics, it only took about a half hour to make this easy baby
blanket! My finished blanket is 31 ½ x 41 ½ inches. You can vary the size of the fabric to make preemie blankets or toddler blankets, too! This pattern is very popular for making easy baby blankets to donate to your favorite children's charity.

Baby Blanket Central is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This is for your convenience at NO EXTRA COST to you. And it helps me to bring you more great content! Win-win! Thank you for supporting this website, dear reader!